A press release detailed the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is celebrating its partnership with the Permian Strategic Partnership and the launch of a five-year, $7.5 million investment that will provide 134 new STEM centers for every elementary school in the Permian Basin.
The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sept. 30 at Pease Elementary School located at 1800 W 22nd Street.
This will focus on a ribbon-cutting ceremony with guest speakers including Baseball Hall of Famer and CRSF Co-Founder Cal Ripken, Jr. and Steve Salem, President and CEO of CRSF. Other guest speakers include the President and CEO of PSP Tracee Bentley, Superintendent of Ector County Independent School District Dr. Scott Muri, and Principal of Pease Elementary School Micah Arrott.
Following the celebration, students of Pease Elementary School will have the opportunity to explore and engage with the school’s STEM center for the first time. This STEM center is one of 134 to be installed over the next five years — and one of 50 to be installed in 2022 — through the partnership between the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and PSP that was announced earlier this year, which will reach over 60,000 students and 2,000 teachers in 22 counties.
Bentley stated to the Odessa American: “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and the positive impact the Pease Elementary STEM Center will have on our community. These centers will provide students with the opportunity to explore STEM concepts and fields and develop important critical thinking skills. We believe that an investment in education is an investment in our future workforce. This new center will inspire students to pursue careers in STEM and help us build a better future for the Permian Basin. We are so excited to see what our students can achieve!”
